


How Not to Fight the Manifestations of the Creative and Destructive Spirits

by AHandWriter



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Brawl/4th/Ultimate Era take your pick, Gen, Mentions of tier lists, Peer Pressure, Reference to Fox's status in Melee, Smash Mansion, ambiguous timeline, the challenge in this doesn't exist except in this fanfic/my take on the Smash 'verse (I hope)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 08:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18517594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHandWriter/pseuds/AHandWriter
Summary: When one of the Smashers gets a little bit overconfident when talking about his fighting skills, he takes on a bet to prove that he is indeed one of the best. Unfortunately for him, the challenge was not what he expected. A short story that references a famous meme and tier lists even though I don't care too much about them because I don't really play competitively. Post-Melee Era, so this can be placed in the Brawl/4th/Ultimate Era, though I left it ambiguous.





	How Not to Fight the Manifestations of the Creative and Destructive Spirits

In one of the living rooms of the Smash Mansion, Fox, Pikachu, and Sonic were sitting on a couch arguing about who is the best Smasher among the three of them.

"From what I know, I'm still one of the best," Fox said, folding his arms and looking at the other two with a smirk.

"Aw, c'mon Fox! That was way back in the _Melee_ Era, before I even got here," Sonic said.

"Yeah!" Pikachu squeaked. "Those stupid memes about you, Final Destination, and no items are so outdated by now. You should just accept that the tier lists change every Era and don't stick with _Melee_!"

Fox huffed. "Huh! Well, look who's talking. That's a lot coming from someone that was never ranked SS. Besides, you need to remember that the _Melee_ Era was the best one. At least, that's what I've heard from the fans."

Pikachu's cheeks sparked in mild anger. "Hey! Not everyone sticks up their noses at the Smashers that are considered to be in the lower tiers, Fox!"

"Yeah, Fox!" Sonic chimed in. "We don't care if you're one of the best ones back then or now! Some of us just like to fight for fun!"

Fox got up from the couch and put his paws on his hips, still wearing a smirk on his face. "I guess you two can't handle Forbidden Classic Mode, then."

Sonic looked at Pikachu in confusion, then at Fox. "What the heck is Forbidden Classic Mode?" he asked.

Pikachu sighed. "It's like a legend among those that have been here since the _64_ Era. I don't believe it's a real thing, but I'm guessing it's like Classic Mode but worse."

"That's right, Pikachu. From what I've heard the Hands never intended it to be one of the modes, but apparently, it's possible to do if you just asked them. The thing is, no one has ever done it, so no one knows what it's really like."

Sonic scratched his chin, wondering if anything Fox and Pikachu just said were true. Being a Smasher that was first invited during the _Brawl_ Era meant that he still didn't know everything about the past two. But if they were right…

"Hey, Fox. Since you said you were so good in the _Melee_ Era, why don't you go and ask Master Hand if you can take on Forbidden Classic Mode yourself? If you win, then you deserve the title of 'Best Smasher Ever' and all of the chili dogs that you started to like ever since I introduced them to you and your friends."

"Is that a bet?"

Sonic shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, if you still think that you're among the best around here, I'm not gonna stop you from showing off. Unless you're saying that you're scared."

"Scared? Ha! I can have Classic Mode matches for breakfast. And you know what, Sonic? We can even have everyone watch me do this challenge tomorrow."

"So it's on then?"

"Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong!” Fox declared, shaking hands with Sonic.

Pikachu sighed again. Why did he ever get involved in something stupid like this?

 

* * *

 

Throughout the next day, everyone in the Mansion was talking about Fox and the bet. They talked about it during breakfast and lunch, and even when they were out and about in Smashville. The entire World of Trophies, or the _Smash_ 'verse as it was also called, was buzzing with excitement over the news. Despite this, one Smasher didn't enjoy the sudden hubbub.

Fox was pacing in his room, inspecting the blaster in his paws every so often. At this point, he wondered if taking on the so-called Forbidden Classic Mode challenge was worth it. Of course, doing so would bring him glory just like with all of the other matches, but then again, this event was special. Furthermore, he didn't know what challenges awaited in Forbidden Classic Mode. In fact, not all of the Smashers even knew it existed, though the consensus for those in the know was that it was so difficult that the Hands got rid of it before the first Tournament began.

He sighed. He could hear his name being chanted outside. They were waiting for him all right. He put the blaster into his holster and opened the door. Walking down the hallway, the words "Fox! Fox!" were followed by a series of claps. He reached the end of the hallway and looked over the railing into the foyer below.

All of the other Smashers suddenly stopped chanting his name and looked up at him. Fox gave a small grin and waved a paw.

"Hi everyone," he said, clearing his throat. "Today I'm going to attempt a challenge that not a lot of us really know about: Forbidden Classic Mode."

Upon hearing those words, there were many oohs and ahhs. Some of the Smashers whispered among themselves, while others nodded and looked expectantly at Fox to tell more.

"Now one thing you need to know about Forbidden Classic Mode is that it's said to be so hard that no one has ever done it before, so good luck to me! I'll be off to see the Hands about this—"

A flash of light, and a giant gloved hand appeared and spoke in a rather deep voice, making everyone in the room jump a bit.

"Did you say you wanted to take on a challenge, Fox? News does travel fast around these parts, you know."

Fox rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "Uh, yeah! Of course, Master Hand!"

"Hmph. I've heard that you wanted to do Forbidden Classic Mode. Is that true, Fox?"

"Well… I… Pikachu and Sonic were a part of this too, sir. I didn't exactly just get into it myself."

"But you have accepted it, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Do you still want to go on with it, Fox? I assure you that the rumors about it are true."

"Really? You mean it's that difficult?"

"Yes."

Fox folded his arms. What exactly has he gotten himself into? Sure, nobody has ever done Forbidden Classic Mode before, but being the first one to do it? What would that mean? He looked at Master Hand and flattened his ears, though he mustered a determined smile.

"Then I'm ready for it! I'll take everyone head-on, then you and Crazy Hand!"

Master Hand chuckled. "It seems that there's no stopping you, Fox. Best prepare yourself, then."

"I will! You've got yourself your first challenger for Forbidden Classic Mode, old man!"

The crowd below them cheered. Turning away from Master Hand, Fox walked downstairs and met the other Smashers, who occupied almost every inch of the room.

"Good luck, Fox!"

"We believe in you!"

"You can do this, Fox!"

"Yeah!"

Fox smiled and nodded as he walked past his fellow Smashers, then stopped in front of a metal door labeled with the words "Match Room" at the top. He took a deep breath, then went inside.

After the door slammed shut with a mighty clang, he walked on shiny white tiles that made his footsteps echo throughout the dim room. Near the walls to his left and right were teleporters, while at the far end of the room was a large interactive screen displaying words like "All-Star Mode" and "Classic Mode". Today, however, Fox noticed that the words "Forbidden Classic Mode" were placed prominently in the center of the screen. He tapped on them, bringing up a message.

"Warning! The following mode is set to the highest difficulty, and you will only be provided one stock for the duration of a match. As compensation, your damage percentage will be reset to zero after the end of each match. Also, continues are not available and you cannot pause any of the matches or quit. Are you sure you are willing to take on this challenge?"

Fox tapped on the "Yes" option.

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes" again.

" _Really_ sure?"

He sighed. "Yes."

One of the teleporters behind Fox beeped, indicating that it has been activated. He walked toward it and took a deep breath, then stepped onto a circular space resembling a Smash Ball emitting a soft white light that beamed upward. To his right was a floating interactive screen displaying his portrait, personal information, and special moves. Outside of the information box was a red circle labeled “P1”. He placed a paw on the circle and moved it across the screen onto his portrait, then heard Master Hand's voice announcing his name. A dialog box appeared, displaying the words "READY TO FIGHT!"

He took another deep breath as he stared at the screen. What will lie ahead? Are the simulations of his fellow Smashers going to be granted extra power or moves that aren't allowed to be used in regular matches or any other modes? Are there going to be new bosses or even simulated fights against bosses the other Smashers have faced in the past or in their own individual 'verses? And speaking of bosses, are the Hands going to do something different this time and pull new tricks out of figurative sleeves?

As more thoughts raced through his head, he lifted a paw and touched the dialog box. After a recording of a cheering crowd played, Fox drew his arm back from the screen and waited, humming the "Corneria" theme. Moments later there was a whoosh, then Fox felt his body stretch like spaghetti. In a flash, he disappeared and left the Match Room as empty as it was before.

In the nearby screening room inside the Mansion, some of the other Smashers sat together in seats facing a projection screen and waited with bated breath for Fox to appear.

 

* * *

 

Fox arrived at Final Destination. He sighed, though admittedly having to defeat several enemies was a tedious task; the battle between Mario, Link, and Kirby was especially tiresome since Kirby had a tendency to inhale him and jump off the stage while the former two did almost nothing but grab and throw him between each other, which rendered him almost unable to fight back and land any hits on them. Despite the cheap tactics used by his simulated opponents, he was somehow able to defeat them and advance to where he was now.

Fox stared at the empty space in front of him. He clenched his fists, then shouted, "I'm ready when you are, Master Hand and Crazy Hand!"

A silence. After a few moments, a giant gloved hand appeared before him. Fox heard a menacing disembodied laugh, followed by another, more demented laugh. He looked behind him and saw another giant gloved hand with twitching fingers, then looked back at Master Hand.

"I'm surprised that you've gotten this far, Fox. Perhaps I have underestimated your fighting skills."

"Hold up, bro! Are we really gonna do it? Y'know, the thing that we're not really supposed to do except for now?"

"Yes, Crazy. We are."

Fox looked back and forth between the Hands. "What are you talking about?"

Master Hand snapped his fingers and was then surrounded by a white light, forcing Fox to squint a bit. When the light disappeared, an older man with short and neat white hair in a white business suit, black tie, and black shoes took his place on the floor of Final Destination. He clenched and unclenched his gloved right hand and gave Fox a small smile.

"Wow, look at you bro! You're a whole lot smaller from here. Guess I'll be joining you guys then."

With a snap and a flash, Crazy Hand took the form of a young white-haired man in the same attire as his brother, albeit with a glove on his left hand.

"All right, what's the catch?" Fox asked, pulling out his blaster and pointing it at an unfazed Master Hand.

"I thought it would be obvious, Fox. But if you wanted to know—"

Before Master Hand could finish, Fox was sent flying over his head and off the stage. Crazy Hand grinned and hid his gloved hand behind his back, while Master Hand frowned at him.

"You should have waited a little bit longer for me to explain to him what our battle is going to be like, brother."

"Yeah, but explaining things kinda ruins the surprise, bro."

"Hmm. I guess you do have a point, Crazy. You know, misdirection is an underrated skill that—"

Master Hand felt a series of slight stings on his back. Behind him was Fox, who was firing multiple bursts of laser beams with his blaster. Upon seeing Master Hand's mildly annoyed look, Fox stopped firing. "So this is what it's going to be like, huh?"

Master Hand shrugged. "It seems that you've already figured it out, Fox."

"What, with all of the cheap tricks that I've seen so far?"

"Call them 'cheap tricks', Fox, but sometimes…" Snapping his fingers, the man transformed into a giant gloved hand that loomed over Fox. "You just need to use whatever is immediately available to you."

"W-what? A-are you serious? You want me to fight both of you in hand _and_ human forms? That's not fair!"

"Then say hello to the end of Forbidden Classic Mode, Fox!" Crazy Hand yelled. "'Cause we're not gonna hold back this time!"

Fox grit his teeth, then ran toward Crazy Hand before using Fox Illusion, leaving a trail of afterimages of himself.

"Ha! Got you—huh?"

A second later Fox was yanked by his scarf, followed by Crazy Hand punching him in the face several times. He tried to wriggle out, but Crazy Hand kept a tight grip on him with his other hand. Before Fox knew it, Crazy Hand swung him overhead and slammed him into the floor, burying him to his waist. In his daze, Fox looked up and saw Master Hand forming into a fist. He gasped.

He jumped out of the hole, only to get slapped back down by the force of Master Hand's palm slamming into the floor.

"Ugh…"

Crazy Hand grabbed Fox again, this time throwing him forward and off the stage. He transformed into his hand form, then zoomed toward Fox—

Who dodged just in time and landed on the floor. He spun around, firing his blaster at Crazy Hand. The latter fired blue lasers from his fingertips, forcing Fox to roll backward toward Master Hand, who stood behind and opened up a firework cone that exploded by Fox's head, stunning him.

As Fox stumbled in place, Master Hand nodded at Crazy Hand, who picked the helpless fighter up into the air. Forming his glowing index and middle fingers into a finger gun gesture, Master Hand took aim and fired three pairs of bullets that homed in on Fox.

Shaking his head vigorously, Fox wrestled out of Crazy Hand's fingers and landed on the floor before the bullets exploded above him. He ran toward Master Hand with a flying kick, sending the man toward the edge of the stage before he skidded to a halt.

Fox grinned at him, his body suddenly cloaked in fire. "Guess I've gotten pretty far."

"I agree."

With an enthusiastic "Fire!", Fox flew toward Master Hand, only to run into a white bubble surrounding the man. Frustrated, he unleashed a flurry of attacks at Master Hand's shield.

As Master Hand continued holding up his gloved hand to maintain the shield, Fox stopped attacking; no matter what he threw at him, he couldn't break it. A second later, Crazy Hand dropped from above and drilled into Fox, damaging and knocking him away from Master Hand. Master Hand lowered his shield, then transformed to join Crazy Hand in the air.

No time to lose, then.

Fox bounded toward Master Hand, kicking at his massive fingers in quick succession. He jumped again, this time toward Crazy Hand, and kicked at him as well.

After Fox landed on the floor, the Hands fired blue lasers from their fingertips. Fox dodged them, then used Fox Illusion to speed himself behind Master Hand.

A shadow loomed over Fox. Huh? If it wasn't Master Hand, then—

He barely had the time to look up to see Crazy Hand falling and grinning at him with his gloved hand in a fist. Fox's jaw dropped. Oh no—

Along with the pain inflicted by a powerful punch to the head, Fox felt electricity surge throughout his body. His brain was all over the place, and his muscles were twitching like crazy.

Unable to control his body, he plummeted to the depths below Final Destination.

 

* * *

 

After he sent Fox into a fall, Crazy Hand landed back onto the stage and walked toward the center of it to stand beside Master Hand. His eyes looked toward the edge near where the Smasher fell off, then to Master Hand.

"Uh, you think we went too hard on him?"

Master Hand shook his head. "No. He asked to participate in this challenge, and so we gave him something that was appropriate for its difficulty."

"Yeah. I guess you're right, bro."

"Hmph. If our battle had continued on a little while longer, then perhaps we could've shown more."

"Yep. It was kinda disappointing and quick. I mean, we could've shown off this one move where he's thrown near the top blast line and I shot at him with a Super Scope that you created or something. Now that would've been cool."

Master Hand chuckled. "I agree. Nevertheless, Fox has been defeated, though I suggest that we should also leave to check on him and everyone else."

"Aw, can't we just stay around and, I don't know, savor the moment of beating up another Smasher?"

"Afterward, Crazy. Afterward."

And with that, Master Hand snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving behind an annoyed and impatient Crazy Hand.

 

* * *

 

Fox hung his head as he stepped off the teleporter. After all he had gone through, it all amounted to nothing. Why did he even take that challenge in the first place?

Oh wait.

It was because he made that stupid bet with Sonic, wasn't it?

He walked toward the door and pushed it open to see some of the Smashers line the hallway. They stared at him. Some had their mouths open in shock, while others whispered to each other. Fox frowned.

As he made his way to the top of the foyer's stairway, he looked over the railing and saw his fellow Smashers looking up at him. He sighed.

"Sorry to say this everyone, but… I've failed to complete Forbidden Classic Mode. I guess I just wasn't cut out for it after all."

More whispers. Fox bit his lip: from what he could tell, they were talking about how terrible it must have been for him to undergo through a gauntlet like that or how glad they were to have never heard of Forbidden Classic Mode before in the first place.

"And so you have lost your bet with Sonic, Fox."

Fox turned around to see Master Hand in his human form. He looked serious.

"Oh. Hi, Master Hand."

"As foolish as it was for you to partake in the so-called Forbidden Classic Mode secret challenge, I do have something important to tell you."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

At this Master Hand's face softened into a small smile. "For being the first Smasher to do Forbidden Classic Mode, you have done well."

"Really? But I lost against you and Crazy Hand. I didn't actually even beat the entire mode because of that."

"That's true. But even though you haven't successfully completed it, you still managed to progress all the way to the final stage. To put this into perspective, Fox, you have defeated several opponents that were meant to be fiendishly difficult and annoying, and yet you had the chance to fight against me and my brother—with both of us transforming in mid-battle and using attacks we normally never use in regular Classic Mode, no less."

"Uh, thanks Master Hand. I guess."

"Just keep in mind what you've accomplished today, Fox," Master Hand said. He looked at the crowd below and addressed it. "To commemorate the Smasher that has managed to take on the Forbidden Classic Mode challenge today, I have given Fox an honorary congratulations!"

The crowd applauded, with some yelling things like "Good job, Fox!" and "You did your best!" Fox smiled a little.

"However, there is one other thing that I wished to talk about."

A silence.

"Sonic? Pikachu?"

The crowd parted, revealing a blue hedgehog and a yellow mouse Pokémon standing in the middle of the foyer. They looked at the other Smashers in confusion.

"Uh, what's going on?" Sonic asked.

"Because Fox has proven to me and Crazy that Forbidden Classic Mode is doable, I have come to believe that any Smasher is able to take on this challenge at any time, provided that you have made formal arrangements with me. As for you and Pikachu, perhaps both of you can take on the challenge today as well."

"Yeah, but I think I'll hold it off for now. I've got to, uh, go for a chili dog run."

"Yeah. And Charizard and Jigglypuff also wanted me for, uh, a Pokémon Club meeting right now."

Everyone stared at the two Smashers, who fidgeted and smiled sheepishly. After a long awkward minute, Fox spoke up.

"Well, this looks sort of familiar. I guess someone's scared to try something they've never done before. Right, Sonic?"

In record time, Sonic raced up the staircase to where Fox and Master Hand were. He stopped in front of Fox, his face red in anger.

"Hey! Are ya saying I'm scared, Fox? 'Cause I know I'm not afraid of a challenge!"

"Oh really? Then why didn't you go through it first? You weren't trying to hide or run away, right?"

"That's none of your business! You were the one that brought up Forbidden Classic Mode in the first place!"

"And YOU wanted to see if I was really one of the best!"

The two Smashers continued to argue, unaware of the white flash of light behind them or the gasping crowd below.

"ENOUGH!"

Fox and Sonic nearly jumped out of their skins and covered their ears. Beside them was Master Hand in his hand form, balled into a fist with his thumb stroking his gloved knuckles. Fox and Sonic backed up to the railing, knowing only too well what the Hand was feeling at the moment.

"If neither of you set aside your petty quarreling, I will have no choice but to assign you your punishment."

Fox and Sonic looked at each other; was Master Hand talking about _the_ punishment? He wasn't being serious, was he?

"Oh come on, Master Hand!" Sonic complained. "Not that! Anything but having to do mail duty and sort out all of those stupid letters!"

"So you wish for an alternative?"

"I'll do anything! Even Forbidden Classic Mode if that means everyone will shut up about it!"

Another gasp from the crowd. Master Hand unclenched himself, then pointed at Sonic.

"Is that so?"

Sonic looked at Master Hand with a determined smile. "Yeah! I'm not gonna chicken out from something like that easily! If Fox can do it, then I can too!"

The crowd yelled "Yeah!" Master Hand turned toward them, then to Fox and Sonic. He sighed.

"Well then, Sonic. Right now I have given you permission to take on the Forbidden Classic Mode challenge. My brother and I will be waiting in Final Destination, provided that you have successfully completed all of the other battles. Good luck."

"Yeah! You got it, Master Hand!"

Below them, the other Smashers chanted Sonic's name. Fox smiled and gave the new challenger a thumbs-up, while Pikachu waved up at him. Despite all of the encouragement being heaped upon him, Sonic could only give them a small grin in return, for there was only one thing running through his mind at the moment.

This is going to suck.


End file.
